Black Forest Mountain Road (Schwarzwaldhochstrasse)

Black Forest Travel Blog

The Black Forest Mountain Road (Die Schwarzwaldhochstrasse) is the oldest and the most scenic tourist route in the Black Forest. At about 65km long, it runs from Baden Baden to Freudenstadt, winding its way from 250m upwards to Bühlerhöhe. From there, the road runs between 800m to 1000m along the ridge of the northern Black Forest mountains, offering stunning panoramic views of the Black Forest, the Rhein valleys, the Alsace region and the Vogese Mountains in France. It is a must-see for every visitor to the Black Forest.

Attractions of the northern Black Forest include the Hornisgrinde, which at 1184m is the highest mountain in the area, the legendary Mummelsee at 998m, the nature reserve in Schliffkopf and Ruhestein.

At about 1032m above sea level, the Mummelsee is the highest cirque lake from the last Ice Age in the Black Forest. One could take a nice walk around the lake or even a boot ride on the lake itself. The place was so full of tourist that we did not stay there long. The tourist shop next to the lake sold all sort of local stuff and souvenirs including the famous cuckoo clocks.

Autumn was a beautiful time to drive along this scenic route as the autumn foliage gave the valley a beautiful burst of colours. We were told that on a clear day, one could even see the Swiss Alps hundreds of kilometres away. We had good weather but the mist had partially covered the view and we could only see as far as the Vosges Mountains on the horizon.